Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to track systems for airplane serving carts, and particularly to under-floor mounted track system for airplane serving carts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Airplane service has evolved into an assembly line style of service where meals and drinks are served in wheeled carts. Flight attendants push the carts in the aisles that run through the length of a typical airplane. The carts have a locking system for the wheels so that the cart can be secured for servicing each row in the plane. Although this system works well, it has problems. The carts are not secured in any way to the aisle. Thus, carts can and do get away from the flight attendants. These loose carts can cause injury to the passengers and to the plane itself. Moreover, it times of severe turbulence, it is possible for the carts to become airborne because there is nothing holding them down. Obviously, such a situation is dangerous to the passengers and crew.
To correct these problems, a system has been designed to better control the movement of carts in the plane. It has a set of tracks in which a set of roller wheels is placed. The roller wheels are attached to the bottom of a typical cart. A releasable locking system is used to control the cart as before. By using the tracks, the safety of the passengers has been improved. If the cart should get away from the crew, it cannot tip over or crash into passengers. It must follow the track. Moreover, in case of severe turbulence, there is no way for the cart to become airborne. The wheels are restrained by the track and are unable to move upward. In this way, the carts no longer pose a threat to the passengers or crew.
In one embodiment, the system has a cart release mechanism to remove it from the tracks for servicing and storage. The system uses a xe2x80x9cpop-upxe2x80x9d ramp that is embedded in the bottom of the track at specific locations. At these locations, the top of the track is large enough to allow the wheels to pass out of the track. Thus, to remove the cart, the ramps are deployed and the cart is pushed up the ramps until all four wheels have come out of the track.